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Criminal charges that allege Catholic priest Rev. Frank P. Hreno threatened to kill a fellow cleric in Florham Park during a fight over a car in April will be presented to a Morris County grand jury, authorities said Tuesday.

Dressed in casual clothes and without the clerical collar he wore during a previous court appearance in Morristown, Hreno, 50, appeared Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz to be told his case was being marked for presentation to a grand jury.

Defense lawyer Peter Gilbreth said he will continue speaking to Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Tracy Dannis to see if the terroristic threat charge can be resolved prior to a possible indictment being returned against Hreno.

Hreno was the director of the Florham Park-based Vocationist Fathers Retreat and Conference Center when he was charged by borough police on April 18 with threatening to kill the Rev. Emeka Okwuosa, 37. Okwuosa also accused Hreno of stabbing him in the arm with a metal staff adorned with a crucifix -- a wound that required 29 stitches to close -- but Hreno told authorities that Okwuosa injured his arm by smashing it into a glass door during their dispute.

No assault charge had been filed against Hreno, who also has served in the past as temporary administrator of Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Wayne.

According to a criminal complaint, Hreno was charged by Florham Park police on April 18 with threatening to kill Okwuosa that day. Their dispute revolved around the use of a vehicle that Hreno leases but Okwuosa believed is community property. Police were called to the center through a 911 report, and a borough officer signed the complaint against Hreno, who was released on his own recognizance.

The mission of the Vocationist Fathers is to foster religious training and the vocation of priesthood. The 37-acre refuge on Brooklake Road is used for retreats, Christian-based picnics and conferences, and the fostering of spirituality, according to its website.

Gilbreth’s client has pleaded not guilty to the charge but voluntarily agreed to leave the center and live with his parents in Morris County while the charge is pending. Okwuosa continues to live at the center.